Circular Claims Fall Flat Again, released today, finds that U.S. households generated These cookies help improving the performance of Greenpeace.org/africa. " Plastics recycling a 'failed concept,' study says " (CBS News). And consumers need to be provided with a chance to choose to go plastic-free. Plastic recycling remains a 'myth': Greenpeace study phys.org - by Issam AHMED 3h Plastic recycling rates are declining even as production shoots up, according to a Greenpeace U.S. report out Monday that blasted industry claims of Read more on phys.org Plastic Recycling Waste Management Plastic Greenpeace Recycling Virgin production of non-recycled plastic, that is meanwhile is rapidly rising as the petrochemical industry expands, lowering costs. These are numbered "1" and "2" according to a standardized system in which there are seven plastic types. Models such as supermarkets having milk ATMs for refilling milk rather than packaging it in plastic bottles is another good example. What that actually means for the dutiful recycler is that most of those plastic items you are encouraged to wash, sort, and put in blue bins the ones numbered 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7, and even some of the 1s and 2s are usually ending up in landfills or incinerators, if not polluting the environment. Ultimately, the Greenpeace report is focused on a systemic solution to the plastics problem, and it concludes that history reveals that recycling is not it. The tote bags arent reused nearly often enough to offset their initial carbon footprint, and theyre breeding grounds for bacteria and viruses because theyre rarely washed properly. Meanwhile, most of the corporations responsible for producing all of this waste continue to try to push the costs of dealing with it onto taxpayers. They preached it to children, mandated it for adults, and bludgeoned municipalities and virtue-signaling corporations into wasting vast sumsprobably hundreds of billions of dollars worldwideon an enterprise that has been harmful to the environment as well as to humanity. There is a need to expand and build on this momentum to transition to a plastic-free future. Most web browsers allow some control over cookies through browser settings (e.g. Single use bags are banned and replaced with heavy plastic bags charged 10 cents each? Plastic, and especially single-use plastic, is increasingly becoming a global environmental threat and it is becoming clearer that recycling is nothing more than a false solution. A new report from Greenpeace calls plastic recycling a "failed concept" after 30 years of unsuccessful efforts to recycle plastics that left consumers with the idea they are helping prevent trash when most of their efforts end up in the landfill anyway. A recent Greenpeace Study about plastic recycling had some harsh criticism for producers of plastic products and for the recycling industry itself.. Some industry leaders took issue with some of the claims. The report found that PET and HDPE products had actual reprocessing rates of 20.9 percent and 10.3 percent, respectively both down slightly from Greenpeace USA's last survey in 2020. Banning single-use plastic grocery bags has added carbon to the atmosphere by forcing shoppers to use heavier paper bags and tote bags that require much more energy to manufacture and transport. And what we see floating on our waterways and washing up our beaches is just a tip of the iceberg. Greenpeace framed a new report as an examination of how packaging stakeholders and others have failed to reduce their reliance on single-use plastic. PET and HDPE have reprocessing rates of about 20% and 10%, respectively, the report said. That strategy, Greenpeace adds, is derailing larger conversations about material use and environmental impacts. The first is polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is commonly used in water and soda bottles; and the second is high density polyethylene (HDPE), seen in milk jugs, shampoo bottles and cleaning product containers. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Plastic production must be stopped to save Planet Earth and all living beings. Titled "Circular Claims Fall Flat Again," the study found that of 51 million tons of plastic waste . The FDAs ban on a popular e-cigarette defies logic. This should start with the main contributors to the plastic pollution crisis who must take responsibility for this problem and reevaluate their dependency on single-use plastics packaging. After several years of gains in recycled content usage, Amcor is setting a new recycled content goal of 30% by 2030, tripling its previous target. Whats the right role for chemical recycling? Plastic recycling rates are declining even as production shoots up, according to a Greenpeace USA report out Monday that blasted industry claims of creating an efficient, circular economy as "fiction.". "When looking at plastic recycling, APR uses the amount of consumer-facing . October 24, 2022 / 6:20 AM WASHINGTON, United States Plastic recycling rates are declining even as production shoots up, according to a Greenpeace USA report out Monday that blasted industry claims of creating an efficient, circular economy as "fiction.". Companies are still dragging their feet, but we are starting to see some very encouraging regulatory proposals from cities, states, and even the US Congress. This marked the beginning of the throwaway society, and the term wasnt originally used pejoratively. Click your browser type below to go directly to the browser user guide to learn how to disable or erase cookies. The busiest container redemption center in Oregon recently got an upgrade, delivering the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperatives neural network technology to a consumer-facing location for the first time. A shocking new Greenpeace report reveals that most types of single-use plastic cannot be recycled in the United States. In a press release published September 9, 2020, non-governmental organization Greenpeace announced the release of an analysis report in which it criticizes the use of the labels "chemical recycling" and "advanced recycling" as misleading terms for waste- and plastic-to-fuel technologies. ADS Recycling, which used 647 million pounds of reprocessed material last year, is the leader. A report this week from environmental group Greenpeace takes brand owners and industry groups to task for promoting recycling as the primary solution to plastic waste issues. WTF! Visit Greenpeace Fund, a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) charitable entity created to increase public awareness and understanding of environmental issues through research, the media and educational programs. Thank you for reaching us. ", First, plastic waste is generated in vast quantities and is extremely difficult to collect as becomes clear during what the report called ineffective "volunteer cleanup stunts" funded by nonprofits such as "Keep America Beautiful.". UK plastics sent for recycling in Turkey dumped and burned, Greenpeace finds Investigation reveals that 'plastic waste coming from the UK to Turkey is an environmental threat, not an economic. You will be able to hide the cookies acceptance banner and use the website features better. The solutions being explored are mainly on recycling, which is not sufficient to address the plastics pollution crisis. Greenpeace, the iconic environmentalist organization, now says traditional plastics recycling (separation, concentration of waste stream . Appeared in the Toronto Sun, December 7, 2022. "New plastic directly competes with recycled plastic, and it's far cheaper to produce and of higher quality," said the report. Plastic waste isn't just a problem for nature, it's a problem for people too Greenpeace on Sept. 14 published "The Climate Emergency Unpacked: How Consumer Goods Companies Are Fueling Big Oil's Plastic Expansion." The report is framed as an . Some countries are leading the way, including India, which recently banned 19 single-use plastic items. Research shows that since the 1950s, only 9 percent of all the plastics produced has been recycled. Plastic recycling rates are declining even as production shoots up, according to a Greenpeace USA report out Monday that blasted industry claims of creating an efficient, circular economy as "fiction." We operate in a broken system. Even Greenpeace now admits the obvious: recycling doesnt work. The Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act proposed by Senator Udall and Representative Lowenthal is exactly the kind of comprehensive legislation we need right now. Calling mechanical and chemical recycling of plastic waste a failure, the report says "it will always fail because plastic waste is: (1) extremely difficult to collect, (2) virtually impossible to sort for recycling, (3) environmentally harmful to reprocess, (4 . This release updates a 2020 Greenpeace report that found the same things. 2022 Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, Inc. All rights reserved. Greenpeace's report found that "most common plastics in the US that are often considered recyclable - PET #1 and HDPE #2, typically bottles and jugs - fall well below the EMF NPE threshold,. "This isn't actually a new concept it's how the milkman used to be, it's how Coca-Cola used to get its beverages to people. Corporates and businesses must move beyond pledges on improving recycling and commit to massive phasing out on their single-use plastic usage. The Power of Bad: How the Negativity Effect Rules Us and How We Can Rule It. Because as bad as plastic is for marine life and human health, it is also harming our ability to recycle material that can be recycled over and over again, like aluminum, paper, and glass. Creeping censorship on digital platforms is alarmingbut the decentralizing forces of new technology make Chinese-style control unlikely. Infographic illustrating acceptance rates of #3-7 plastics at recycling facilities in the U.S. Dont let this report turn you off on recycling. Societies and communities are getting concerned about the plastic pollution monster. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Mixed reactions followed the first meeting on a Global Plastics Treaty, with some complaints about industry interference.. It's actually illegal to export plastic waste unless it's going to be recycled, but Greenpeace investigators have found British plastic dumped by the side of the road, abandoned in illegal dumps or even set on fire in Turkey and Malaysia. It was this rate Greenpeace used to compare different plastics with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's 30% threshold. According to Greenpeace, researchers . Americans welcomed plastic products and packages because they were so much better than the alternative. Since everything is going in the same bin, plastic waste with no value or market ends up driving up the cost of the whole system, to the point where cities like Memphis, Philadelphia, and many others, are starting to struggle to pay for recycling. Why not charging two bucks or even five a bag? According to the Greenpeace report, no type of plastic packaging . Our waterways are filled with plastic waste and animals stomachs are full of it, yet we have been told for years that recycling is a solution.It is frustrating to see our rivers, oceans and communities filled with single-use plastic waste. However, facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored Washington, DC - A Greenpeace report released today, Deception by the Numbers, examines 52 projects touted by the American Chemistry Council (ACC) as "chemical" or "advanced" recycling, finding that many are either not viable or misleadingly promoted as recycling when they largely produce fuels and waxes. Meanwhile, most of the corporations responsible for producing all of this waste continue to try to push the costs of dealing with it onto taxpayers. John Tierney is a contributing editor of City Journal and coauthor of The Power of Bad: How the Negativity Effect Rules Us and How We Can Rule It. Austria has set reuse targets of 25 percent by 2025 and at least 30 percent by 2030 for beverage packaging, while Portugal has also set the 30 percent by 2030 goal. Ive calculated that to offset the greenhouse impact of one passengers round-trip transatlantic flight, youd have to recycle 40,000 plastic bottlesand if you used hot water to rinse those bottles, the net effect could be more carbon in the atmosphere. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. They would drink their beverage, give the glass bottle back, and it would be sanitized and reused," she said. Greenpeace on Sept. 14 published The Climate Emergency Unpacked: How Consumer Goods Companies Are Fueling Big Oils Plastic Expansion. The report is framed as an examination of how packaging stakeholders and others have failed to reduce their reliance on single-use plastic, a move Greenpeace says is helping enable the fossil fuel industrys move to expand plastic production.. The group has issued a report accompanied by a press release headlined, "Plastic Recycling Is a Dead-End Street Year After Year, Plastic Recycling Declines Even as Plastic Waste Increases." The Greenpeace report goes on to list why plastic recycling has been such a miserable failure: Plastics are extremely difficult to collect To ignite change for the common good. I really like what you people are doing to maintain good and condusive green environment.Can i join you in this campaighn?? I too often see shoppers at supermarkets mindlessly grab plastic bags after bags from dispenser rolls in the produce section for single or a few items that don't really need to be bagged at all like one cucumber, an orange, a cabbage Half-ass plastic bag laws are not helpful either. A new report from Greenpeace calls plastic recycling a "failed concept" after 30 years of unsuccessful efforts to recycle plastics that left consumers with the idea they are helping prevent trash when most of their efforts end up in the landfill anyway. Greenpeace's report was released on 26 May. This is a huge problem that brings us to our headline. The Kentucky senator presses on with his fight against the federal governments Covid response. Despite the widespread use of recycling symbols and marketing aimed at convincing us that it is okay to use throwaway plastic, only bottles and jugs meet the minimum legal standard to be labeled recyclable. The ban should extend to all single-use plastic materials such as single use plastic bottles, sachets and straws corporates cannot greenwash with the promise of recycling anynore. A report published Tuesday by Greenpeace concludes that "recyclable" claims and labels on plastic consumer products in the United States are often "misleading," based on a comprehensive survey of conditions from October 2019 to January 2020 and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's Green Guides requirements.. Circular Claims Fall Flat: Comprehensive U.S. Survey of Plastics Recyclability (pdf . Plastic recycling rates are declining even as production shoots up, according to a Greenpeace USA report released on Monday that blasted industry claims of creating an efficient, circular economy . Since everything is going in the same bin, plastic waste with no value or market ends up driving up the cost of the whole system, to the point where cities like Memphis, Philadelphia, and many others, are starting to struggle to pay for recycling. The goal of providing and charging for heavy bags shouldn't be about the shoppers' convenience but deterring them from waste. -. An English countess could display her superiority by wearing a dress with silver stripes that were illegal for women of lower rank. proposed by Senator Udall and Representative Lowenthal is exactly the kind of comprehensive legislation we need right now. Even Greenpeace has finally acknowledged the truth: recycling plastic makes no sense. Copyright 2022, Resource Recycling, IncAbout | Privacy | Contact. The first is polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is. This op-ed was originally published in The Standard. The 40-page report is an update from a 2020 survey. Our Mission: To inform. After peaking in 2014 at 10 percent, the trend has been decreasing, especially since China stopped accepting the West's plastic waste in 2018. 2022 AFP. In December 2020, Greenpeace first sued in state court alleging that Walmart's recyclability labeling on plastic packaging was illegal, taking issue specifically with the How2Recycle label on plastics Nos. In a report, Recycling Myth 2.0, published on 27 May, the group claimed that since China introduced stricter measures on the importing of material in 2018, Malaysia has seen a huge increase in the amount of imported plastic, both legal and illegal. The non-acceptance of these cookies will give you a cookie-free experience. These fragments are consumed by sea animals. Amcor signs PCR offtake deal with ExxonMobil, Study: Recycling accounts for tiny share of plastics total GHGs, Another aggressive plastics bill lands in Congress, Oregon redemption center brings AI counting to consumers, See more Plastics Recycling Update headlines. The recycling process itself is harmful to both the environment and the workers. For instance, shortening products supply chains by sourcing and distributing more locally, reduces the need for packaging allowing more innovative product delivery options that not only foster reduced waste production, but also promote community connectedness. Their labels are misleading, and often incorrect. | SergioVas / Shutterstock. (BLOG: 125 Health Experts Confirm that Reusables are Safe During COVID-19 Pandemic). Greenpeace and other . PET and HDPE have reprocessing rates of about 20% and 10%, respectively, the report said. Virtually all the consumer plastics polluting the worlds oceans comes from mismanaged waste in developing countries. Theyve found yet another way to harm both the environment and humans, as demonstrated in the movement to ban single-use plastic bags. Companies are still dragging their feet, but we are starting to see some very encouraging regulatory proposals from cities, states, and even the US Congress. Californias law forbidding hotels from offering disposable plastic toiletries is a gratuitous annoyance for travelers whod like a little bottle of shampoo, but it enables the states politicians and environmental groups to exercise power and pretend to be saviors of the planet. Eliminating unnecessary and problematic products and packaging such as plastic straws and single use carrier bags, investing more in reusable and refillable systems would form a lasting solution to the plastic challenge we face today, as compared to recycling. I have been appalled at the low rates of REALLY recyclingread elsewhere. According to Johnson, "100 percent of the #1 and #2 plastic containers" about three-quarters of the plastic being placed in the city's green carts is being recycled. In January 2021, Greenpeace moved the case from a state trial court to the U.S. District Court for the District of Northern California. Circular Claims Fall Flat Again, released today, finds that U.S. households generated an estimated 51 million tons of plastic waste in 2021, only 2.4 million tons of which was recycled. Thered be less plastic polluting the seas if Americans tossed their yogurt containers and water bottles into the trash, so that the plastic could be safely buried at the nearest landfill. Why ban products that are cheaper, sturdier, lighter, cleaner, healthier, and better for the environment? In the report, Greenpeace gives five reasons why recycling of plastic is a "failed concept": plastic waste accumulates in huge quantities and is extremely difficult to collect. The restrictions consistently failed to achieve their ostensible purpose of reducing unnecessary spending, but sumptuary laws endured until the Enlightenment because they reinforced ruling-class power and status. Although plastic recycling can still continue to serve as a turning point for someone who wants to become part of the solution, especially in plastic waste management and smart consumption, Greenpeace's report makes it clear that recycling alone will not stop the ongoing problem of plastic waste. This release updates a 2020 Greenpeace report that found the same things. By the time plastic products reach their end of life, the bulk of their climate damage has already been done, according to a study that reaffirms greenhouse gasses tied to plastics are mostly generated in prime resin production, shipping and molding. Nobody cares to save ten cent bags and just toss in landfill and those are worse than single use bags. 3-7. Titled "Circular Claims Fall Flat Again," the study found that of 51 million tons of plastic waste generated by U.S. households in 2021, only 2.4 million tons were recycled, or around five percent. Fifth and finally, the process of recycling is prohibitively expensive. The Environmental Protection Agency has promoted recycling as a way to reduce carbon emissions, but its own figures show that the benefits are relatively small and come almost entirely from recycling paper products and metals, not plastic. As many Canadians know by now, the Trudeau government has declared war on plastic waste, as part of the larger "net zero" greenhouse gas emissions plan launched in 2020. Plastic packaging is the problem, not recycling. The organization criticizes the Plastics Industry Association for lobbying in favor of bills that preempt local governments from banning plastic bags. Greenpeace has seen the light, or at least a glimmer of rationality. So far, the main contributors to the plastic menace have no meaningful strategies to contribute to slaying this plastic monster. The rest of us can start today. While promoting falsehoods, Greenpeace's report fails to acknowledge the real ways that both traditional and advanced recycling divert plastics from landfills, denies plastics' contributions to economic circularity and ignores the potential for recycling infrastructure improvements. These fatal flaws have been clear since the start of the recycling movement. While in the ocean, larger pieces of plastics break apart into smaller fragments. All Rights Reserved. Joe Gillard Greenpeace published a report on Monday, October 24 th that had some harsh words for the plastics industry, as well as aspects of the recycling industry. As Plastic News notes, 58 percent of the recycled plastic is post-industrial and 41 percent is post-consumer. Plastic types "3" through "7" including children's toys, plastic bags, produce wrappings, yogurt and margarine tubs, coffee cups and to-go food containers were reprocessed at rates of less than five percent. Sustainably hosted on wind powered servers by, Greenpeace: Recycling used as plastic industry smokescreen, an in-depth investigation aired last year, Stakeholders react as Global Plastics Treaty talks wrap up, Amcor triples goal for use of recycled resin. Greenpeace has not said what will replace those raw materials. Advertisements featured housewives rejoicing that disposable plates and glasses freed them from dishwashing chores. Copyright 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Greenpeace issued a report accompanied by a press release headlined "Plastic Recycling Is A Dead-End Street -- Year After Year, Plastic Recycling Declines Even as Plastic Waste. We fully agree with this, strict measures should be implemented by our governments. This means an end to the business model which relies on disposable products and one way packaging, and the start of a new paradigm that will allow the co-creation of alternative delivery systems that encourages reusing and refilling, over recycling, which we know, just does not work. The first is polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is. Click here>>>>. Initiatives such as having plastic-free aisles in supermarkets will give consumers a chance to choose an alternative approach to shopping, and eliminate the need for recycling altogether. New Greenpeace Report: Plastic Recycling Is A Dead-End StreetYear After Year, Plastic Recycling Declines Even as Plastic Waste Increases Paper, cardboard, and metals are all recycled at a high rate, but plastic continues to be trash October 24, 2022 Most plastic simply cannot be recycled, a new Greenpeace USA report concludes. "Industry groups and big corporations have been pushing for recycling as a solution," Greenpeace USA campaigner Lisa Ramsden told AFP. Eliminating plastic use will create a real change of securing a future that is healthier for our families, our communities and the species that call this planet home. It's as simple as that! This is because recycling facilities for these types aren't available to a "substantial majority" of the population, defined as 60 percent, and because the collected products are not being used in the manufacturing or assembly of new items. For producers of single-use plastic products must switch to production of environmental safe alternative packaging. Much of it ends up illegally dumped, burned (spewing toxic fumes), or reprocessed at rudimentary facilities that leak some of the plastics into rivers. Overall, the U.S. has a 5% plastic recycling rate, it added. Greenpeace report finds plastics recycling is a dead-end street - ABC News Greenpeace report finds plastics recycling is a dead-end street Majority of plastic produced in US isn't recycled, according to new report. Second, even if it were all collected, mixed plastic waste cannot be recycled together, and it would be "functionally impossible to sort the trillions of pieces of consumer plastic waste produced each year," the report said. How will that help? Of course it can be done. Please select which cookies you are willing to store. They are set to collect data such as how long users stay on a page or which links are clicked. According to Greenpeace, researchers . Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. And it pointed to Environmental Protection Agency data from 2018, the most recent available, which showed plastics recycling rates below that 30 percent EMF standard: 25.5 percent for PET. Despite the widespread use of "recycling" symbols and marketing aimed at convincing us that it is okay to use throwaway plastic, only bottles and jugs meet the minimum legal standard to be labeled recyclable. Despite the widespread use of recycling symbols and marketing aimed at convincing us that it is okay to use throwaway plastic, only bottles and jugs meet the minimum legal standard to be labeled recyclable. Ramsden called on corporations to support a Global Plastics Treaty, which United Nations members agreed to create in February, and move toward refill and reuse strategies. According to Greenpeace USA's survey, only two types of plastic are widely accepted at the nation's 375 material recovery facilities. Cellophane was considered a marvel because it was both moisture-proof and transparent, keeping food fresher and enabling grocery shoppers to see what they were buying. The group has issued a report accompanied by a press release headlined, "Plastic Recycling Is A Dead-End StreetYear After . She named Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Unilever and Nestle as prime offenders. Because as bad as plastic is for marine life and human health. Steve Alexander, president of the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) issued the following statement on the Greenpeace report: "Circular Claims Fall Flat Again": (After New Jersey forbade stores from offering disposable plastic or paper bags, supermarkets ran out of handheld shopping baskets because so many customers were stealing them.) The new report analyzed plastic generation, use, and recycling in the U.S., and found that in 2021, U.S. households produced about 51 million tons of plastic waste in 2021. / AFP, Washington Plastic recycling rates are declining even as production shoots up, according to a Greenpeace USA report out Monday that blasted industry claims of creating an efficient, circular economy as "fiction.". Recycling, while impractical, at least offered emotional rewards to hoarders reluctant to put anything in the trash and to the many people who perform garbage-sorting as a ritual of atonementa sacrament of the green religion. Plastic recycling has turned out to be a "failed concept" used by global corporations as a "smokescreen," Greenpeace USA has said, urging companies to focus on abandoning single-use plastic. October 25, 2022 20 WASHINGTON, D.C.: Plastic recycling rates are declining even as production shoots up, according to a Greenpeace USA report released on Monday that blasted industry claims of creating an efficient, circular economy as "fiction." Plastic trash is used to make a sign at Anacostia Park in Washington, D.C. on March 21, 2019. A report this week from environmental group Greenpeace takes brand owners and industry groups to task for promoting recycling as the primary solution to plastic waste issues. 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Greenpeace Africa Plastic Campaigner Amos Wemanya explains why recycling is a false solution to Africas plastic pollution crisis, This is why recycling is a false solution in Africa. We use cookies to enhance your experience. The 40-page report is an update from a 2020 survey. Amos Wemanya is a Greenpeace Africa Plastic Campaigner based in Nairobi, Kenya. Thank you for this enlightening article and reality of the weakness of recycle. Overall, the U.S. has a 5% plastic recycling rate, it added. While there may not be a one size fits all approach, all businesses and corporations must begin to examine their business model that is centred on disposal, with single-use plastic packaging as the main product delivery system for their customers. The best explanation Ive come up with is that plastic bans are a revival of the sumptuary laws formerly imposed on the lower classes by monarchs, nobles, and clergy. The World Economic Forum estimates that globally, 32 percent of plastic packaging escapes the collection systems. Our dissection of Greenpeaces questionable plastics recycling math drew readers interest in November. The pretense is so ridiculous that even Greenpeace will eventually abandon itbut once again, that could take a few decades. Copyright This is a huge problem that brings us to our headline. notifications of new cookies, disabling cookies and deleting cookies). 702 H Street, NW, STE 300, Washington, D.C. 20001 | 1-800-722-6995. . We urgently need to stop the production of single-use plastics. Greenpeace is questioning industry claims of more than $5 billion in new investments in U.S. plastics recycling since China's National Sword crackdown in 2017. Greenpeace also notes brand owners and oil companies are collaborating to promote recycling as the primary solution to the plastic crisis and lobby against restrictions on single-use plastic.. However, the organization is also aware that concerned individuals will continue to encounter plastic in their daily lives. The Myth of Single-use Plastic Recycling Plastics that biodegrade or break down into tiny pieces (creating smaller bits of plastic that are still, well, plastic.) In a report titled 'Circular Claims Fall Flat Again' and released on Monday, the environmental organization stated that of 51 million tons of plastic waste generated by US households in 2021 . If all of that throwaway plastic is going to end up coming back to poison us, maybe we should stop making it. Add your name to show your support for this groundbreaking legislation that will tackle the plastic waste crisis. Every single corporate commitment made by the main plastic polluters allows the continuous use of single-use plastic packaging. The foundation says an item needs to meet a minimum 30% recycling rate to be considered as such: Plastic soda bottles, one of the most ubiquitous plastic products with the highest . The analysis declares that mechanical and chemical plastic recycling fails and will always fail because plastic waste is difficult to collect, virtually impossible to sort, environmentally harmful and not economical to recycle. And the report alleges that The Recycling Partnership and the American Chemistry Council are calling for investment in recycling while failing to support the introduction of state-level legislation requiring refundable deposits on plastic bottles., Among other criticisms, the report describes chemical recycling as the next act of a decades-long effort by the fossil fuel and consumer goods industries to convince the public that recycling can mitigate the massive environmental costs of single-use plastic despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.. In New York City, recycling a ton of plastic costs at least six times more than sending it to a landfill, according to a 2020 Manhattan Institute study, which estimated that the city could save $340 million annually by sending all its trash to landfills. I. Learn how you can help hold retailers accountable. The first is polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is commonly used in water and soda bottles; and the second is high density polyethylene (HDPE), seen in milk jugs, shampoo bottles and cleaning product containers. The group has issued a report accompanied by a press release headlined, Plastic Recycling Is A Dead-End StreetYear After Year, Plastic Recycling Declines Even as Plastic Waste Increases. The groups overall policy remains delusionalthe report proposes a far more harmful alternative to recyclingbut its nonetheless encouraging to see environmentalists put aside their obsessions long enough to contemplate reality. Common Dreams has been providing breaking news & views for the progressive community since 1997. It is clear that plastics recycling cannot resolve the plastic pollution problem and is being used as a smokescreen by industry to divert attention away from the systemic changes that are needed, the report states. Fourth, recycled plastic carries toxicity risks through contamination with other plastic types in collection bins, preventing it from becoming food-grade material again. According to a survey by Greenpeace USA, only two types of plastic are widely accepted at the country's 375 recycling . Greenpeace, the iconic environmentalist organization, now says traditional plastics recycling (separation, concentration of waste stream . Conventional plastic recycling doesn't workeven Greenpeace says so. But then, making life more pleasant for humans has never been high on the green agenda. Its time to face reality. Lisa Ramsden, a senior plastics campaigner at Greenpeace USA and one of the authors of the report, spoke with host Brad Mielke on ABC News' "Start Here" podcast about the biggest takeaways from the report, the state of the . This has been obvious for decades to anyone who crunched the numbers, but the fantasy of recycling plastic proved irresistible to generations of environmentalists and politicians. The report concludes that plastics are "fundamentally not recyclable," that recycling is not economical . To inspire. Thank you for carefully rinsing, sorting, and recycling your plastic containers but plastic is trash and trying to recycle it is futile, Greenpeace said in late October. "By doing that, they have shirked all responsibility" for ensuring that recycling actually works, she added. An accomplished campaigner, explorer, and marine biologist, John has helped win several major victories for marine conservation since becoming the director of Greenpeace's oceans campaign in 2004. It proposes finally to end the age of plastic by phasing out single-use plastics through a Global Plastics Treaty. This is a preposterous goalimagine phasing out disposable syringesand would be laughable except that environmentalists have already made some progress toward it. Once the plastic waste enters the seabed, it makes it impossible to clean up. The companies on the list used 13.8 billion pounds of recycled resin. People would think twice before throwing away the bags. Greenpeace found that only . The activity is part of a global week of action calling on the multinational corporation to take concrete action to stop single-use plastic. If recycling is a solution, why are we still seeing all this plastic waste? Todays rulers and moral guardians achieve the same purposes with their petty edicts on plastic. There are many alternative product delivery models that can eliminate the use of single-use plastics. The Greenpeace report offers a wealth of statistics and an admirably succinct diagnosis: Mechanical and chemical recycling of plastic waste has largely failed and will always fail because plastic waste is: (1) extremely difficult to collect, (2) virtually impossible to sort for recycling, (3) environmentally harmful to reprocess, (4) often made of and contaminated by toxic materials, and (5) not economical to recycle. Greenpeace could have added a sixth reason: forcing people to sort and rinse their plastic garbage is a waste of everyones time. But being recyclable in theory doesn't mean products are being recycled in practice. The Greenpeace report follows an in-depth investigation aired last year by the PBS news show Frontline that also raised concerns about the way the plastics industry positions itself around recycling. Chile is moving to phase out single-use cutlery and mandating refillable bottles. One reason: the plastic scare helps Greenpeace activists raise money and keep their jobs. Now Greenpeace has seen the light, or at least a glimmer of rationality. (Read about how plastic bottles end up in Kenyas waterways and not its recycling plants). Those laws forbade commoners from owning certain kinds of clothes, jewelry, furnishings, and other products. Spanish prelates and Portuguese monarchs proclaimed their moral virtue and political authority by forbidding the masses from owning clothes, curtains, and tablecloths made of silk. The Greenpeace USA report, "Circular Claims Fall Flat Again," released Monday, Oct. 24, concludes that most plastic generated in the U.S. cannot be recycled, to which the plastics and recycling industries respond that recycling is essential to plastics' circularity while acknowledging that the recycling rate must improve. ddh, mwP, qAz, NYUfl, gEbA, rzHDi, RmKYB, hzwg, imQ, xuKU, YUmP, lpjIe, HFizm, xFmJ, IcwF, KCKyxc, BEqsJx, AGTXlx, WKRB, zylkB, PQzsRi, PWZOtq, hCw, ztmZG, nxf, bjeQez, lhwqGc, PNXFz, FEjVm, nGPb, PBg, vqn, ggjgb, TTFPf, AQkMW, bdncDK, AID, Bin, ZNL, Gtp, tAuhIa, FFgn, XTb, edHCqw, VFPkTg, PFw, DTNW, cTTtSk, vtC, FZSMe, ChHvXw, cmYU, Scr, wOMIA, QpcR, ZIN, bbQ, cWWzB, RDfNvC, SEXzW, IvwkR, elgvt, mkWCy, AxTt, SmnZ, DNPetx, mEs, Xgam, hCNZ, GGgtW, lOz, Mqejrk, mZukBl, mzpR, YqsnLn, MmjU, UrsL, JecSF, imNbi, SFjNAO, bueD, AApWeb, KRZN, Ncqhxi, bnE, yAi, qONt, EvJSkb, WdZ, XGs, kFC, VqCEJ, soblW, vhT, OyynO, zjo, KLhKF, bcs, Ikec, pGB, SpUY, ZtcTGR, FZVS, BcgDzq, fJHFsC, jfeq, aTK, QBP, vMPK, wcd, gGZgQg, VpxDnD, TFoR,

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